Last month The Lady Finger commented on Brooke Shields' appearance in the ad campaign for Latisse, a silly FDA-approved drug meant to lengthen lashes. And now Current TV comedian Sarah Haskins has documented Shields' decades-long shilling of products aimed at "helping" the ladies. Yes, Shields really is the "spokesperson for women." Watch the video below. -Naomi
Friday, September 4, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Anchorwoman
Diane Sawyer, the popular co-host of ABC's Good Morning America has been bumped up to anchor the network's World News program now that Charles Gibson has stepped down, according to the New York Times. Like many women who aspire to be hard news broadcasters, Sawyer was relegated to the soft news trenches for a decade, covering celebrity and human interest stories while she clamored for a more serious position. But now that she's got it, Sawyer will face the uphill battle of convincing viewers that she's a worthy person to report the news. Women in top anchor spots are often set up to fail in the American consciousness. Katie Couric, the once-popular host of NBC's Today Show, has received abysmal ratings as the head anchor of CBS's Evening News. As one television news executive speaking on the condition of anonymity told the New York Times, "[With the arrival of Sawyer], we’ll find out whether people don’t want to watch a woman anchor the news or whether they just didn’t want to watch Katie."
So what is it about female anchors that is so off-putting to the American public? Perhaps we're more comfortable with the trusted father-like figure in the driver's seat. Or perhaps we're grated by a woman who asks tough questions. There's something so unfeminine about a woman who eschews empathy for confrontation.
As a young female journalist who has worked on investigative stories, I've oft encountered this attitude. One source who assisted me on a political piece referred to me as a "girl" and a "young pup" as we poured over documents together. Another subject of a political profile tried to persuade me to writing flattering things about him. When I didn't, he was shocked.
In spite of these deeply entrenched attitudes, it's an exciting time to be a female in the media. With so many women rising to political and professional power, Diane Sawyer's appointment to World News seems an inevitable next step. Now it's up to us to determine whether we can handle her. -Naomi
So what is it about female anchors that is so off-putting to the American public? Perhaps we're more comfortable with the trusted father-like figure in the driver's seat. Or perhaps we're grated by a woman who asks tough questions. There's something so unfeminine about a woman who eschews empathy for confrontation.
As a young female journalist who has worked on investigative stories, I've oft encountered this attitude. One source who assisted me on a political piece referred to me as a "girl" and a "young pup" as we poured over documents together. Another subject of a political profile tried to persuade me to writing flattering things about him. When I didn't, he was shocked.
In spite of these deeply entrenched attitudes, it's an exciting time to be a female in the media. With so many women rising to political and professional power, Diane Sawyer's appointment to World News seems an inevitable next step. Now it's up to us to determine whether we can handle her. -Naomi
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Denver non-profit helps women escape abuse
A fledgling non-profit in Denver called Won't Be Broken aims to help women facing domestic abuse avail themselves of the city's services. Ralonda Broadus, 28, started the organization after escaping a decade of violence perpetrated by her husband and two boyfriends, according to the Denver Post.
Won't Be Broken's arrival to the anti-violence sphere comes at a critical time. With the economy in the doldrums, social services typically face funding cuts, while the need for support for stressed families skyrockets.
Check out Won't Be Broken's Facebook page here. -Naomi
Won't Be Broken's arrival to the anti-violence sphere comes at a critical time. With the economy in the doldrums, social services typically face funding cuts, while the need for support for stressed families skyrockets.
Check out Won't Be Broken's Facebook page here. -Naomi
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
A working woman and her stay-at-home wife
When Betty Friedan's "Feminine Mystique" enjoyed its heyday in the 1960s, the word "wife" was loaded with negative connotations. This, perhaps, was the very name for the "problem that has no name." Wifehood was less an identity than an occupation that entailed a litany of domestic chores. But now that things are different, now that men and women share equally in domestic labor (well, sort of), does the term still have meaning? NPR news editor Sara Sarasohn says 'yes.' In a recent Modern Love column for the New York Times, Sarasohn explores the word "wife" in the context of her lesbian marriage. Originally, Sarasohn and her wife, Ellen, employed the term to shock others into thinking critically about their heterosexual marriages. But then, when Ellen became a full-time stay-at-home mom, the word "wife" reverted back to its original meaning: the cooking, the cleaning, the play-date arranging. But, says Sarasohn, that's not necessarily a bad thing:
"I want to broaden the meaning of 'wife,'" she writes. "When I call Ellen my wife I don’t want to mean that she is simply the chore-doer but that she’s the guiding intelligence behind her half of our household. Ellen doesn’t take care of the children the way I would, not by a long shot. If I were the stay-at-home mother, they would wear different clothes, eat different lunches, attend different activities. The cleaning and the laundry would get done in a different order and to a different standard."
"All those things that many women think their husbands don’t do well enough — the cleaning and feeding and laundry and child care — we think of as drudgery. They are also power. They are how women exercise control over their lives and families. Women naturally don’t want to give up power in any sphere. Many women don’t really want husbands to be more like empowered wives. That would mean women would have to give up some power over their children. I suspect the only reason I finally relented was that I was giving up that power not to a husband but to a woman I call my wife."
Yes, female empowerment means success in the professional realm. But, as Sarasohn implies, the other half of the equation is seeing value in the "wifely" duties of the hearth. Equity in all marriages and partnerships will only be possible when we acknowledge the importance of both kinds of work. -Naomi (Thanks to Andra for the tip.)
"I want to broaden the meaning of 'wife,'" she writes. "When I call Ellen my wife I don’t want to mean that she is simply the chore-doer but that she’s the guiding intelligence behind her half of our household. Ellen doesn’t take care of the children the way I would, not by a long shot. If I were the stay-at-home mother, they would wear different clothes, eat different lunches, attend different activities. The cleaning and the laundry would get done in a different order and to a different standard."
"All those things that many women think their husbands don’t do well enough — the cleaning and feeding and laundry and child care — we think of as drudgery. They are also power. They are how women exercise control over their lives and families. Women naturally don’t want to give up power in any sphere. Many women don’t really want husbands to be more like empowered wives. That would mean women would have to give up some power over their children. I suspect the only reason I finally relented was that I was giving up that power not to a husband but to a woman I call my wife."
Yes, female empowerment means success in the professional realm. But, as Sarasohn implies, the other half of the equation is seeing value in the "wifely" duties of the hearth. Equity in all marriages and partnerships will only be possible when we acknowledge the importance of both kinds of work. -Naomi (Thanks to Andra for the tip.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
